Gardening and backyard birding go hand in hand. So why not plan your garden around the birds you would like to attract. A great deal of information on this subject is contained in 2 terrific books, Bird-by-Bird Gardening, and The Backyard Bird Lovers Field Guide, by Sally Roth, published by Rodale Press. You need only look below or in the books section of this site to order these books. There are a number of other sources for this information, but I found these to be really comprehensive. My only slightly negative comment would be what I find missing in most web sites and magazine articles--no one really talks about shore birds and raptors. Most treatises on birds deal with songbirds that mostly live in the northern part of the country and may fly south in winter. But in fairness to everyone, these birds are beautiful and abundant in most parts of the country.
Since I am far from an expert on gardening, I will give you an overview. To begin with you need to know what kinds of food attract different birds. You need to understand if the birds you like best eat insects, you will want to plant fruits and vegetables that will attract caterpillars and worms, etc. to your garden. I recently read an article, I believe in Bird Watcher's Digest suggesting that you should not discourage worms and caterpillars from eating your tomatoes and beans, etc., because if you want these birds, they need these tasty morsels! The goal is to plant enough for both you and the birds. I admit in my experience these bugs don't just eat one or two they take a chomp out of each one and you have to be quick to beat them. It's a trade-off.
Bird feeders with seeds and nuts attract a very wide variety of birds and it is one way to get some satisfaction and still eat well. Plants that bear fruits and berries are also very attractive to a large variety of birds. My experience with raspberries was that I had to get out shortly after sunrise to get my share, but I always saved some for the birds. Also, the birds will drop seeds and you may find you have more plants growing than when you started.
Hummingbirds eat mostly nectar from tubular flowers, birds of paradise or nectar and sugar water in feeders, but they will occasionally pick up an insect. For more information on attracting hummingbirds, see The Wildlife Gardeners Guide to Hbirds, which you will find below,next to Sally Roth's books.
Robins and others in the thrush family like worms. If you have a pond or stream you may want to encourage frogs and fish. These attract herons, crows, jays, some thrushes, owls and possibly an osprey. Snakes, snails, voles, mice and other small animals will attract a variety of owls, hawks, crows, jays and herons. I doubt that you want to bring these critters into your yard, but if they are already there you might consider putting up an owl house. Screech owls have been known to be happy in an owl house and they will keep many undesirables out of your yard-- besides which they are really cute.
Black Oil Sunflower seeds are known to attract many birds as well. Several varieties of mahonia (a lovely plant) will also bring in a good selection. But rather than go into a lot of detail about a subject on which I have only limited knowledge, I will suggest you read books and articles on the subject. I try to include several on this site, and if you check the links I have provided you will find many good sources of information. In addition, you may add your comments and insights to "Our Space" and I will pass them along.
My friend and mentor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology recently suggested another wonderful source of theirs on attracting birds to your garden. The link to this and other great information from Cornell can be found on the links page.
